An Act of Evil Read Online Free PDF Page A

even her own powers of speech inadequate.
    “ Thank you, Miss Targett,” said Diana. “It’s always a great pleasure to find that one’s work is so appreciated.”
    Miss Targett, one of the countless thousands to whom those who appear on television are thought of as some form of rare and elevated beings and whose attention is as overwhelming as that of actual Royalty, brimmed with pleasure.
    “ Oh, my dear,” was all she could say, but the cadences of the three words and subtle touches of body language acknowledged a deep sense of her unworthiness for such thanks. Maltravers fondly imagined her subsequent retelling of the moment, embroidered with happy, if untrue, embellishments, to the awe and envy of her acquaintances.
    “ Of course, Miss Davy is also an actress,” he put in.
    “ Oh, really,” said Miss Targett, reluctantly pulling herself away from the magnetic charm of Diana’s courtesy. “I don’t think I’ve seen…?”
    “ I do most of my work on stage,” said Tess, rightly calculating that the locations and nature of her work were not within Miss Targett’s sphere of interest.
    “ Oh, well, never mind, perhaps one day you will…” she responded graciously and Maltravers cut short her progress down a rather dangerous conversational route by deliberately knocking over a carafe of water. The resulting minor chaos saved Miss Targett from receiving the icier edges of Tess’s tongue and covered the sound of Michael closing the front door after the departing Webster.
    “ What did Matthew want?” asked Melissa as he returned to the kitchen.
    “ Oh, he’s very concerned about the theft,” he replied. “You know what he’s like.”
    Melissa clearly did, but Maltravers grasped the opportunity of inquiring in order to avoid further conversational problems with Miss Targett about total theatrical nonentities who languished in the obscurity of the West End.
    “ Well, he’s very sincere,” Michael explained. “He’s quite appalled that something like this should happen in the cathedral.”
    “ But he has no responsibility, has he?”
    “ None at all. His job is the cathedral music. But he has a very strong sense of the dignity and holiness of the church generally.”
    “ I would hope his fellow clergymen shared it,” Maltravers observed.
    “ Well, of course,” said Michael, who was in no mood to rise to another session of religious baiting from his brother-in-law. “But Matthew can be…” He sought the word.
    “ Excessive,” said Melissa.
    “ Yes…zealous…over-dedicated might be better. I’m afraid this business has upset him dreadfully. I’ve spent the last few minutes trying to calm him down and comfort him. He said he was going to the cathedral to pray. He does that a lot.”
    “ I thought you all did,” said Maltravers mischievously. “It’s part of the Contract of Employment isn’t it?”
    “ At the moment, Augustus, I have too much on my mind to enter into another futile discussion on matters about which you know little but say a great deal,” said Michael loftily. “Miss Targett, I think we should be on our way.”
    Miss Targett’s attention had irresistibly rotated back to Diana, feeding itself with discreet glances. Blatant staring had been exorcised as bad manners in a long-ago childhood. Her disappointment at being summoned from the Presence was instant and obvious, but immediately covered by polite behaviour. She was consoled by an inner hope that further meetings might occur while Diana was in Vercaster. Their departure was briefly delayed by the arrival of a reporter and photographer from the Vercaster Times whose cathedral contacts had tipped them off about the Latimer Mercy theft long before the official police announcement. Michael was clearly annoyed by their inopportune if enterprising appearance and Maltravers diplomatically took over, ushering them both into the study. The reporter was young and enthusiastic, the photographer, many years his senior,